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Smoke Free Campus Initiative

Tobacco is the #1 preventable cause for disease.

Saint Mary's College can be the next college in California to go 100% smoke-free. Now is the time to stand up for the health of students and coworkers. Eliminating secondhand smoke will improve everyone’s health on campus and encourage smokers to quit their deadly habit.

WHY CAMPUSES ARE GOING SMOKE FREE:

Smoke-free campus policies protect non-smokers from second hand smoke exposure. 88% of adults (18+) do NOT smoke in the state of California.

As students graduate, they are transitioning into smoke-free or tobacco-free work environments.

College years have been identified as a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and transitioin into regular tobacco use.

Campus employees are protected from OUTDOOR secondhand smoke.

Smokers working in smoke-free environments were more likely to decrease the number of cigarettes they smoked throughout the day

By eliminating tobacco litter, colleges are decreasing fire risk and clean up costs.

SECOND HAND SMOKE:

There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure

OUTDOOR tobacco smoke levels may be as high as second hand smoke indoors, especially when close to smokers.

Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 50,000 non-smoker each year.

Secondhand smoke is a group 1 carcinogen, the most dangerous class of carcinogens. They are in the same category as asbestos, arsenic, and UV radiation.